Nehekhara
Nehekhara, which translates as the "Great Lands", yet is known now and forever as the Land of the Dead, was once a mighty and far-flung Human civilisation and is the homeland of the Tomb Kings. Located within the deep south of the Old World, Nehekhara stretches across the expanses of the lands and valleys between the Great Desert of Araby to the west, the Bitter Sea to the east, the rugged arid plains of the Badlands to the north, and the steaming jungles of the Southlands. Whilst the land of Nehekhara was once fertile, populous and prosperous, it is now a desolate kingdom of barren wasteland and searing desert. In addition to the centuries of war and neglect, the lands were forever tainted by the enchantments of Nagash's Great Ritual. The Land of the Dead is now a ghost-haunted realm where countless unquiet spirits and elementals flit around great mortuary temples and dark tombs. Their cries can be heard screaming in the wind as they cross the vast tracts of Nehekhara's baking deserts, preying on those foolish enough to enter the cursed land in search of treasure. Geography Nehekhara is a hostile realm where the searing heat of the desert sun is the least of a wandering traveller's worries. The waters of the Great Mortis River are poisonous and blood-coloured, providing no relief to the thirsty. There are regions of quicksand that can swallow regiments whole and choking sandstorms that strip the flesh from bones in mere seconds. Whirlwinds of dust, skulls and ravenous desert insects scour through the land, and rivers of flesh-eating beetles crawl across the desert, consuming everything in their path. There are vast plains of bones and skulls that come to life without warning, skeletal fingers reaching up to drag anything alive on the surface into a sandy grave below. A few oases still exist, scattered throughout the desert, but they are all tainted; instead of fresh water, they are filled with bubbling pools of blood. Most are the abodes of foul monsters, and those that are not are lined with parched, malevolent trees that strangle their victims and suck every drop of moisture from their bodies. Nehekhara is a wilderness of ever shifting sands, a land of constantly changing topography. There are waterfalls of sand that defy the passage of time and flow backwards. There exist dunes and basins large enough to accommodate entire armies, and many of the Tomb King's legions lie beneath the surface in such places — awaiting the magical incantations of Liche Priests to awaken them from their deathly slumber. A sandstorm might unearth a monolithic statue, or even an entire buried city, lost and forgotten under the dunes, only to be engulfed and concealed again a few days later. Such hidden places are said to include the mysterious City of Bronze, a complex rumoured to be covered in glyphs carved by beings older than Nehekhara itself. In addition to open deserts, where sand stretches as far as the eye can see, there are vast necropolises and numerous places where one can hardly move for all the statues and sculptures, each covered with grisly images of death. These monuments are vaster and grander than anything the Old World can boast, and foremost amongst them are towering figures resembling the great kings and angry gods of Nehekhara — fearsome statues that come to life and smite trespassers with impunity. When the Tomb Kings awoke, they ordered their Undead minions to rebuild the cities of old and fill them with the markets, wares, boats, and other things that they remembered from life. As few trees grow in the Land of the Dead, many of these things are fashioned from stone, gold or fused bones. Skeletal men walk the lands fulfilling seemingly pointless jobs such as fetching stagnant water, harvesting crops long since withered or else rowing barges across the Great Mortis River. Armies of Skeletons are forever patrolling the borders of their realm as they did in life, relentlessly striding across the arid landscape in search of enemies and intruders. Numerous Undead creatures wander the deep desert, from swarms of small but deadly desert scorpions to giant centipedes, each the size of a sphinx. Great flocks of Carrion circle high above, and packs of ravenous sand sharks swim beneath the surface of the dunes. In the centuries since Nagash's Great Ritual, many foul monsters have been drawn to the magically tainted realm. There are now Manticores, Cockatrices and even Dragons inhabiting the Nehekharan desert. Nomadic bandits make a living by plundering the tombs of ancient kings, and marauding Orc tribes continuously rampage across the Land of the Dead in search of battle and plunder. Nehekhara may be a barren realm, but it is far from empty or uninhabited. Places of Interest Nehekhara contained several major city-states all paying homage, at various times, to Khemri and the High King located there, the first of whom was Settra the Imperishable. * Khemri, capital. Home of Settra the Imperishable. * Zandri, a port city, and the second most powerful city politically. * Numas, resided in by the living, protected by the dead. * Quatar, Guardian-city of the mountains. * Bhagar, a city of former bandits, with much light cavalry. * Rasetra, a city on the edge of the Southlands, that made use of the beasts of the jungle. * Mahrak, the city of priests. * Lybaras, a city of scholars and engineers, responsible for the creation of the first Tomb Scorpions. * Lahmia, cursed city to the far east, where vampirism first took hold. * Ka-Sabar, the city of bronze. This city was crippled in the first war against Nagash. Sources * : Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (8th Edition) ** : pg. 3 - 5 ** : pg. 6 ** : pg. 7 ** : pg. 8 - 16 ** : pg. 17 ** : pg. 19 * : Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (6th Edition) ** : pg. 4 - 11 ** : pg. 78 * : Liber Necris (supplement) ** : pg. 4 - 5 es:Nehekhara Category:Human Nations Category:Nehekhara Category:Southlands Category:Tomb Kings Category:N